


Lessons in First Impressions

by lodgedinmythoughts



Series: Lessons with Lokane [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - All Human, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, First Impressions, First Meetings, Loki being Loki, Prequel, Rugby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 11:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16515188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lodgedinmythoughts/pseuds/lodgedinmythoughts
Summary: Jane and Loki meet for the very first time. *Prequel*





	Lessons in First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> The prequel of the series in which their very first meeting goes absolutely swimmingly, of course.

“Jane!”

Jane craned her neck to discern the location of Thor’s resonant voice in the small crowd. She’d lost track of him after the rugby match came to an end, stepping blindly along the sidelines where other spectators were gathered.

“Ja-Jane—Jane, over here.” Thor’s burly arm appeared well above the crowd some distance ahead.

Glad for a more substantial clue to follow, Jane weaved through the crowd until at last, her vision alighted on Thor, sweaty and brawny and towering over her when they came face to face. His dirty blond hair was pulled up in a messy bun and his hands were low on his hips as his breaths came out in light pants.

“Oh, there you are.” Jane let out a nervous chuckle, debating on how to greet him. His fitted crimson and black uniform was damp with sweat, so she made a conscious effort not to get too handsy as she reached up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.

“What’d you think of the match?” he asked.

“It was good; it was really—I liked that part where that one guy did that twirl and—oh, and when you practically knocked down that other guy just by standing there and…ok, so I still have no idea how the game works, but congrats! You won!”

He laughed and threw his arm around her shoulder as he led her from the crowd. “I’ve explained it to you a thousand times, Jane.”

“Can I tell you a secret? I was only half-listening, like, half the time.”

“Fair enough, I’ll grant you that only because I admit I tend to zone out when you start talking about magnetism…dynamics.”

“You mean ‘magnetohydrodynamics.’”

“Er, yes. That.”

She laughed as they strolled along the manicured grass at a meandering pace, the diluted pinks and oranges up above ushering in twilight. “So, where do you wanna eat?”

“How about—oh, Jane.” His hand pressed down on her shoulder, bringing them to a stop. “I just remembered I wanted you to meet my brother tonight. Loki.”

“Huh?”

“Well, you two haven’t had the chance to meet yet, so I thought tonight would be most convenient. I’ve already told him. He’s just over there gathering his things, and you’re already here, so…”

“Oh, well…ok.” She shifted subtly under his arm.

She’d heard about his brother, how he often seemed to have something up his sleeve and could be difficult to deal with at times. She’d also seen pictures, supposed he was somewhat good-looking, if one were into the whole vampire thing. She’d known which one he was out on the pitch when she showed up in time to catch some of the match, but aside from mild curiosity, she hadn’t given him much thought.

“It’s nothing to be too concerned about, Jane,” Thor assured her. “He’s difficult to pin down sometimes but in the end, he’s harmless. Oh, good, here he comes.”

Jane was unable to get another word in before she was turning her head to find the tall, lean figure of Loki striding casually in their direction.

Aside from their height, the brothers couldn’t have looked any more different. Paler, slimmer, but still possessing an underlying, streamlined strength, Loki exuded a certain kind of swagger, a self-confidence different from Thor’s, the kind Jane sensed he could turn on and off like a switch at his convenience.

His black duffel bag thrown over one shoulder, he wore a crimson and black uniform identical to Thor’s, which she distantly noted hugged and flattered his toned and trim physique. Covering a portion of his legs were knee-high socks mildly dirtied up, and up top, his black hair was freed from its low bun to fall loosely just over his shoulders.

Good looks ran in the family, it appeared.

Loki’s blue eyes remained on her as he closed the gap, strange smirk edging at his lips, and even from a distance, she got the distinct impression he was sizing her up. Making a private point not to falter under his gaze, Jane straightened her shoulders and turned to face him as she awaited his approach.

“Loki,” Thor said, arm still around her shoulder.

“And who’s this?” were Loki’s first words in her presence. His voice was similarly rich and deep, but impossibly different from Thor’s. Whereas his brother’s was raspier, booming, his was smooth and baritone, hinting at a character of certain cultivation and refinement.

Jane couldn’t tell if the question was aimed at her or Thor or whoever might answer. Before Thor could speak for her, she held out a hand. “Hi, Loki, it’s really nice to meet you. I’m Jane.”

A short huff of laughter escaped through Loki’s nose as he glanced down at her hand, making no immediate move to take it.

Already put off by his rude and dismissive attitude when she’d done absolutely nothing to warrant it, Jane refrained from rolling her gaze upward and made to take her hand away.

But just before she could, Loki’s hand shot out with a fluid movement and captured hers in between his long fingers. Holding her hand up to his lips, he bowed slightly and placed upon it a gentle kiss that somehow managed to sear Jane’s skin, sending a spark of something unidentifiable and undesired jolting up her arm. He raised his gaze to meet hers and flashed his white teeth at her in a grin.

She didn’t move, could do nothing but stare. It was clear he was mocking her.

_Is this guy for real?_

She nearly scoffed, glancing at Thor for his reaction. Beside her, Thor had his lips pressed together, looking just shy of grim, but with a marked levity that told her he was well used to that kind of behavior and that if it were really something to take issue with, he would’ve stepped in. And so, she fought to take it all in stride.

Straightening to his full height, Loki released his grip on her and took a cursory glance at their surroundings, letting out a whoosh of breath and running his fingers through his hair, taking on a more casual demeanor.

“Right, then,” he said right before his eyes alighted on Jane again, and she tried not to squirm, feeling as though he could see right through her. “Are you here on your own free will or did Thor force you to come?”

“What?” She nearly choked.

“Don’t start, Loki,” Thor said with a long-suffering tone.

“Forgive me for being blunt,” he told them, shrugging as though he couldn’t help it. “It’s just that Thor’s friends don’t always bother to feign interest in his extracurricular activities.”

Friends.

If Thor had told him they were dating, he already knew full well she wasn’t just a _friend_. It simply seemed he had a hard time believing a girl like her could land a guy like Thor and wasn’t afraid to say it.

_What an ass._

At that, and at his uppity behavior, _and_ at the implication that she couldn’t bother to care at all about Thor’s interests, Jane knew then and there that she did not like Loki Odinson. At all.

“I like rugby just fine.” Her smile was tight-lipped, forced. She didn’t really have strong feelings about the sport one way or the other, but it was the principle of the matter.

“She’s allowed to have different interests, Loki. Intricate ones that don’t come easily to many people,” said Thor. “And she clearly came to support me.”

“Oh? I didn’t notice her in the crowd earlier.”

“I had an exam review on north campus, so I could only come later.” Why was she defending herself to him? And why did he care so much? What she did was none of his business.

“Well,” he said, giving her a closed-lip smile that played at some sort of alliance between the two of them, “academics do have a habit of taking priority in this environment.”

Jane just wanted to leave.

She was about to bring up the dinner she and Thor were just on their way to when someone called Thor’s name. The three of them turned to find a man a little ways down the field beckoning Thor over.

Thor turned to Jane. “I’ll be right back. That’s one of the grad students who instructs a fitness course; he meant to speak with me earlier. You’ll be alright?”

With Loki? No. No, she wouldn’t.

She nodded.

He planted a kiss on top of her head and gave Loki a quick look of warning before departing. After watching him go, Jane turned to face Loki again, only to find him with arms crossed, already gazing intently down at her. The sun had already begun to set and the sky was awash with a mix of colors, but his eyes still managed to scorch her as clearly as though it were noon.

She cleared her throat, shifted on her feet. “Have any plans tonight?”

“None that require my immediate attention.”

She nodded once, biting the inside of her cheek. “Um, good game. Congrats on the win.”

“It’s always a refreshing change of pace having to face formidable opponents.”

She nodded again, taking in a lengthy breath through her nose and wishing she could be anywhere but there. She parted her lips to speak again.

“You’re a second-year, yes?”

She stilled, just for a fraction of a second. He was actually making an attempt to initiate small talk. “Yes. A sophomore, yeah. You are, too, right?”

He simply nodded, gazing out at the field like he was doing Thor a tremendous favor by sticking around. She watched him, narrowing her eyes imperceptibly before his attention flew back down to her, catching her off guard. “What do you study, Jane?”

She quickly regained her bearings. “Physics.” It took her a second to remember to reciprocate. “You?”

“Philosophy.”

She hummed in acknowledgment, resisting the urge to rock back and forth on her heels in discomfiture. Much of the crowd had already disappeared, and now it was just a smattering of small groups conversing amid the quickly chilling autumn air. She tried not to shiver too noticeably.

“You and Thor are quite the pair,” he said all of a sudden.

She locked eyes with him, unsure where he was going with that, and suspecting she really didn’t care to know. “Thor’s a great guy,” she said more cautiously than she would’ve liked.

“Mm, yes, ‘great.’ A word to which he’s certainly no stranger. So many connotations, that.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

He gave her a deceptively benign smile. “Nothing at all. Simply that an ego such as the one he possesses doesn’t come from nowhere.”

“Ok…”

“If you will, allow me to give you a friendly warning ahead of time: as a general rule, parents seem to be enamored of him, so should your dalliance meet an untimely end, yours will likely be rife with grief.”

Choosing to ignore his insinuation with the use of the word “dalliance,” Jane muttered, “Yeah, well, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I’m sorry?”

“My parents are dead, so—sorry for your friendly warning to go to waste.”

He had the decency to look contrite. Tongue darting out to wet his lips, he lowered his head. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Seeing as he was finally starting to resemble a normal human, she was more obliged to cut him a break. “You didn’t know.”

“In any case, any protective siblings you might have may find their guards unwillingly lowered when it comes to Thor.”

“Nope. No siblings. My parents were really the only family I ever had and the only ones I was close to, so—” She quirked her head. “Yeah.”

“No friends?”

“Excuse me?”

“Forgive me, Jane. You see, I’m only trying to determine whether or not we might be kindred spirits, you and I.” He spoke with such polished charm, but the way he fought back a teasing smirk told her he wasn’t looking for forgiveness at all.

“Kin—what?”

“I confess to being a bit of a lone wolf myself, and I was only wondering if perhaps you were the same.”

“I have friends,” she said a little too quickly, feeling her face inexplicably heat up. She was glad for the waning light.

His chuckle was smooth. “Of course. I meant no disrespect. But there’s no shame in it, Jane, if you are.”

“I know there’s not, I’m just saying—I have friends.”

He humored her with another closed-lip smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

It was so peculiar, she thought—the shape of his eyes lended to one’s thinking he might be a rather kind, gentle soul. But the way he used them, delivered his astute gaze and pierced her like a pin needle did to its cushion said he knew exactly how to play his ace, that he liked to be in complete control of which side he presented.

And his mouth. He seemed to near constantly have a smirk playing at his lips, at least tonight, like only he was in on some grand cosmic joke while the overwhelming mass of plebeians were left behind to remain ensnared in some invisible hold.

And that was without any mention of the demeanor he’d displayed toward her tonight.

Put together, he was entirely too much for Jane.

Thankfully, Thor reappeared not a second too soon.

“I apologize for that, Jane,” he said, setting a hand on the small of her back. Loki, ever the observant one, flickered his gaze down at the action so briefly Jane thought she might’ve imagined it.

“It’s ok,” she told him. “You ready to go eat?”

“Yes, I could probably eat a thousand horses right now.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a shock,” Loki supplied offhandedly.

“Jane, you’re freezing.” Taking notice of her shiver, Thor rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms.

Jane, on the other hand, was hyperaware of the extra set of blue eyes watching oh, so very closely. While a large part of her was grateful for the heat, she found another part of her had to stifle the oncoming urge to set her hands on Thor’s arms to get him to cease his actions.

Thor threw a glance over at his brother. “I don’t suppose you’d like to join us, Loki.”

_Please say no, please say no._

“I’m afraid I have some things to attend to tonight.”

She let out an internal breath of relief.

“I’m sure you’ll fare just fine without me.”

_Indeed, we will._

Hand in hand, she and Thor made to leave, and she was prepared to impart unto Loki a tight smile, but then he did something else unexpected.

He grasped her other hand just as she brushed past him and simply held it, clasping it with his.

She shouldn’t have taken so much note of how his hand enveloped hers, how its temperature nearly matched the air outside, how it was strong, smooth but masculine, and most of all—how it sent that unmatched frisson of something yet to be named up her spine.

She chalked it up to the cold and made a deliberate effort not to gulp down the thickening saliva in her mouth as he applied soft but firm pressure to her smaller, pliant hand.

“And Jane—it was an absolute pleasure to finally meet you.” Every word seeming to drip with meaning, his gaze locked with hers, almost daring her to react.

Nonplussed, her eyes flitted between his and she gave a quick series of minuscule nods, at last thinking to slip her hand from his steady grip. She wasn’t sure if it was just a trick of the light when she thought she witnessed the satisfied, almost feral gleam in his eye.

She continued onward, not daring to look at Thor until they were a good distance away. She was either crazy or ridiculously honed in on her senses with the way Loki’s gaze seemed to burn a hole through her back.

She’d talked to him for all of five minutes and already he was so cavalier, and yet so intense. It’d nearly drained her of her energy to have to interact with him, like she constantly had to be on her toes around him. She was left feeling terribly uncertain if she’d always feel that way, that she could never let her guard down around him, if she’d always be subject to those keen eyes and that oddly knowing, feline smile.

 _With any luck_ , she thought as she walked toward imminent darkness, _we’ll never have to interact again._

**Author's Note:**

> lololol I got some news for you, Jane.


End file.
